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House Macrae
"Victory through Strength. Glory through Honour." ::: - Motto of House Macrae :"Fire and Fury!" ::: - Battle Cry of House Macrae The Imperial Knight House Macrae has ruled the world of Fyphe for over 3000 years. It is a moderately sized house consisting of around 100 full Knights and 250 Knight Armiger companions, and is an independant armed force of note within Sector Deus. It is currently headed by High King Rory Macrae, a skilled warrior, popular leader, and close friend of Lord General Militant Lucas Xerant. Also under the authority of the Macraes is the Order Macrae, a large order of several thousand Fyphian Knights-lesser - skilled warriors known for their polished carapace armour and ferocious swordsmanship. Finally, they personally rule a large Hold of over ten million Fyphians and have deferred authority over the entire planet, along with its substantial forces of men-at-arms who go to war in flak gambessons and armed with las-spears and laslocks. Overview A powerful Household of Nobles, House Macrae is known as proud, stubborn and tenacious. But also loyal, jovial, and very amicable by Imperial Noble standards. To be a Knight Scion - the pilot of a Knight Walker - one must possess an iron will and have extensive training, and House Macrae is one of the very few places in Sector Deus that can provide this training. Even though all the men of House Macrae are extensively trained for years many do not succeed in becoming a Knight Scion. House Macrae is based in the enormous Royal Palace within Hold Macrae on Fyphe. While externally this takes the appearance of an ancient feudal castle its walls are lined with adamantium and force fields, and has advanced weapons mounted on its parapets. Meanwhile an enormous underground temple beneath the palace contains the House's Knights, the war machines slumbering within enormous archways as they await battle, while the metal floor bustles with Sacristans and heavy machinery. While the majority of House Macrae is housed here, the Barons of the house often have their own castles from which they rule their own fiefdoms. As an independent organisation outside the Imperial Adeptuses, House Macrae is beholden to no one but themselves, the Emperor, and the High Lords of Terra. However they still have needs and are beholden to many oaths & bonds they have made with other Imperial institutions, oaths & bonds the chivalrous Knights would rather die than betray, Their first, oldest, and most critical bond is with the Forge World of Nestorium. This enormous factory planet has always been the one to provide Fyphe with its fearsome Knight Walkers as well as providing training to the House's Sacristans - dedicated Knight technicians that are utterly obedient to their Knightly House rather than the Adeptus Mechanicus. In return Fyphe provides Nestorium with a large amount of agri, helping to feed the desolate Forge World's enormous population. House Macrae's second bond is with Adamant Prime - and by extension the Imperium itself. Adamant Prime offers Fyphe the support of its enormous military and the protection of the local Navy Battlegroup, and in return House Macrae readily offers squadrons of their Knights to support Adamant Prime's interstellar deployments. Imperial Knights The advanced walkers that House Macrae pilot into battle are relics of the Dark Age of Technology. Knight Walkers are enormous exoskeletons that a pilot links to mentally via a powerful connective system called the Throne Mechanicum. All Knights have a Throne Mechanicum, with the exception of Knight Armigers which are controlled via a more common Mind Impulse Unit. With the mindlink of a Throne Mechanicum a Knight Scion can pilot a Knight Walker as if it were their own body. However, creating and maintaining such a link requires a strong will and piloting a knight effectively requires years of training and practice. The most typical Knight Walker patterns, in decreasing order of size, are as follows: *'Acastus pattern' - The largest Knight Walker, nearing a Warhound Titan in size, and very rare in any Knight House. Acastus-pattern Knights are towering monstrosities that are used to provide block-levelling fire support in a ranged configuration, or unstoppable devastation in a close combat configuration. House Macrae possesses only two Acastus-pattern Knights. *'Cerastus pattern' - Tall and slender by Knight Walker standards, the Cerastus-pattern is a chassis that saw greatest use during the Great Crusade and Horus Heresy, but has dwindled in numbers since. Typically armed with shorter-ranged weapons and more advanced close-range and close-combat weapons, the Cerastus-pattern Walkers are swift & agile and excellent for lethal flanking and first-strike actions. House Macrae has around 12 Cerastus-pattern Knights. *'Dominus pattern' - Bulkier and slightly taller than Questoris-pattern Knights. The Dominus-pattern is less numerous but not to an extreme degree, with a House typically fielding a single Dominus for every 3-5 Questorises. The Dominus-pattern is designed for fire support with several carapace mounts and two heavy limb mounts. However this fire support can be configured to both long and close range depending on armament selected. House Macrae has around 18 Dominus-pattern Knights. *'Questoris pattern' - The archetypial Knight Walker and the most common pattern used by full Knight Scions. The Questoris walker has two limb mounted-weapons and a carapace mount, and usually sports a mixture of ranged and close-combat weapons allowing it to retain versatility on the battlefield. While it may be considered the basic Knight, a Questoris-pattern Walker is still capable of levelling more firepower than a Leman Russ squadron and is extremely resilient. House Macrae possesses around 70 Questoris-pattern Knights. *'Armiger pattern' - A smaller pattern of walker, half the height of a Questoris, and unique in that it has a much less advanced machine spirit. Armiger-pattern Walkers are agile and swift, armed with lighter weapons and thinner armour. Instead of full-blooded Knight Scions, Armiger-pattern Walkers are piloted by trusted servants of the Household and function as Bondsmen and warrior-companions in battle. House Macrae possesses around 250 Armiger-pattern Knights. While they come in many patterns and armament configurations, within every Knight's Throne Mechanicum (with the exception of Knight Armigers) is a powerful machine spirit which over centuries of service develops a mind of its own formed from the residual personalities of all the pilots it has linked with. This machine spirit has a true personality which can influence its performance in battle and who it can effectively link with, for example an extremely bloodthirsty Knight would reject a level-headed pilot's attempts to bond with it. Because of this, Knight spirits are carefully monitored so they can be matched with the most suitable pilot, minimising any chance of rejection. On the other hand these machine spirits can greatly increase the Knight's potency in battle, allowing the pilot to utilise centuries or even millennia of battle experience and instinct. While the Knight Walkers' limbs, carapace, servos, and frames can be destroyed in battle, the Throne Mechanicum is the essence of the Knight itself and nearly indestructible, encased in a skin of thick, solid Adamantium that would put Land Raider armour to shame and keeps the Knight Scion & Knight machine spirit safe through the most severe punishment. As long as the Throne survives, the Knight's machine spirit survives, and while the construction of new Throne Mechanici is beyond the technological capabilites of Nestorium they are able to construct every other part of a Knight for any repairs House Macrae might need. Therefore even if naught is left of a Knight Walker but its Throne, it can be restored to its full glory by Nestorium. As Knight Armigers do not have Throne Mechanici, they can be constructed in their entirety by Nestorium. However they are still complex machines and more easily lost in battle, keeping their numbers suppressed. Adding to their potency is the Ion Shield, an powerful archeotech force field. The Ion Shield is capable of stopping a howitzer shell in its tracks but is only capable of covering one facing at any given time, and changing its facing requires a force of concentration from the pilot. Questoris, Dominus, Cerastus, and Acastus pattern knights are all equipped with full Ion Shields, while the Armiger-pattern utilises a smaller Ion Buckler which is less powerful but can be redirected far more quickly to react to incoming fire. 'Knight Scions' Becoming a Knight Scion takes years of training, both mental and physical, and the Knight House ensures every capable son of the House goes through this. Martial training, both in melee and with ranged weapons, is paramount, while physical fitness is a necessity to endure the rigours of piloting. However the mental training is by far the most important, for it takes a powerful will to control a Knight Walker. When the prospective Scions of the Household are deemed ready, they undergo their Ritual of Becoming, their final test. They will bond with one of the House's Questoris-pattern Knights (or a larger pattern if necessary) and bring it under their control. Not all prospective Scions pass this test, and some can even be killed by the mental strain. But those who succeed ascend to full-blooded Knight Scion in the ranks of their House. Due to the personalities that have been developed by the Knights they almost always form the strongest bonds with members of the same bloodline as those whose minds they have already drawn from, and this deeply ingrained nepotism ensures the dominance of just a few specific families amongst the Knight World's society. Pilots of 'wrong blood' are not impossible, but require a phenomenal strength of will and can usually only be found amongst the ranks of the most experienced Knight Armiger pilots. Armiger-pattern Knights - due to their less potent machine spirits - are not affected by pilots of particular blood. Due to this they are often piloted by servants of the Household such as their best men-at-arms, lesser Nobles, relatives-by-marriage, or even bastard children. However the very best and most experienced of them may one day be granted the honour of attempting their own Ritual of Becoming and earning the helm of a Questoris-pattern Knight, and should they be successful they are welcomed into the House with great fanfare. History House Macrae has existed since the Dark Age of Technology, when Fyphe was ruled by a number of Knight Houses that oversaw their own parcels of the planet and kept them defended with their mighty walkers. Due to the staunch defence of its Knights Fyphe managed to survive the Age of Strigfe and was drawn into the Imperial fold easily during the Great Crusade - having kept close ties with Adamant Prime. For six thousand years the Knights of Fyphe, including House Macrae, battled in the name of humanity and the Imperium on hundreds of planets across the demi-segmentum. However when the Long Storm of M36 struck Sector Deus, a massive force from the Cygnoid Coalition struck the Subsector - starting with Fyphe. Much of the planet's defences were crushed in a matter of days and of all the Knight Houses only House Macrae had retained the numbers to maintain an effective resistance. Though the Cygnoids were eventually defeated at Adamant Prime, Fyphe had been ruined and the few scattered Knights from other Households joined together under House Macrae's banner. Fyphe itself meanwhile had regressed to a more primitive state in the wake of the destruction, with only their weapons & armour utilising modern technology while their culture and common technology was reduced to that of a primitive feudal world. Since then the Macraes have ruled Fyphe uncontested, save for a handful of small Holds formed by rebellious Freeblades who fled north to found their own bloodlines away from the Macraes. In the last three millennia the Macraes have fought in many Imperial conflicts, lending their powerful war machines and martial skill where they see fit. Amongst these conflcits are the Thirteen Rebellions, the Ionian Crusades, and the ongoing Brachau Crusade. The Macrae Knights At the centre of Fyphe, Hold Macrae, and House Macrae are the Macrae Knights themselves (who stand above the Armiger Knights). This large Household consists of the Macrae Royal Family - the bloodline of Kings - along with over a dozen other bloodlines (some of which are also Macraes). Amongst the many inherited traits that are passed down through the various bloodlines of House Macrae, perhaps the most distinctive is the bright red hair of the Macrae bloodlines themselves. At the head of the family is the High King, who rules the House with absolute authority. His sons - the Princes - enjoy a position of importance but have no real authority amongst the House until it is earned in battle, but one day the eldest surviving son will ascend to the throne when his father dies or abdicates. High Kings typically pilot exceptionally potent and unique Knight Walkers that have been customised to their preferences, and are incredibly powerful in battle. Beneath the King right hand are the Barons. High-level Nobility, heads of their respective bloodlines and skilled Scions that have seen many conflicts, Barons often control their own fiefdoms and will lead multiple squadrons in battle. House Macrae usually contains a dozen or so of their number. While some Barons choose to go through another Ritual of Becoming in order to bond with a larger, more powerful Knight Walker with which to lead, many will stick with the Questoris-pattern Knight they first bonded with. While they are al of high standing, not all Barons are equal, with some having special titles and honorifics that show the favour they hold with their High King. A Baron's eldest son may inherit his title (with the approval of the High King to assure competence), but until that day they are considered Knightly Vassals. Beneath the Barons are the Knightly Vassals, mid-level Nobility and the standard Knight Scions of House Macrae that could be anything from a young Scion fresh from his Ritual of Becoming to a seasoned veteran. They are endowed with the title of 'Sir' and Knightly Vassals mostly pilot Questoris-pattern walkers, though some may have shown a personality more fitting at the helm of a Dominus-pattern. Knightly Vassals of a Baronial bloodline often have several available Knight Walkers that allow multiple generations of Knight Scions at once. However there are multiple non-Baronial bloodlines in House Macrae that typically only have a single Knight Walker, the command of which is passed from father to son upon death or retirement. The daughters of House Macrae are titled Lady and generally discouraged from attempting to become Knight Scions, both because the House lacks the number of Walkers to need them and because they are much more valuable for marrying off to allies and contemporaries to strengthen dynastic ties. However should a Knightly Vassal, Baron, or even the High King himself die without surviving sons then his eldest surviving daughter is honour-bound to step up to the title. While this is a rare occurence, there have been particular events in House Macrae's history where the Knight Scions suffered such terrible casualities that the House's daughters were trained in large numbers to replace them. However the eldest daughter of the King is an exception to this general rule. In a tradition that goes back to the Long Storm of M36, when the first Macrae Princess took up the mantle of Knight Scion after the death of all her brothers, the eldest Princess is expected to train just as hard as any of her male kin and pass the Ritual of Becoming. As an added benefit, this also ensures that if the King and his sons are killed in battle the House will still have a Queen that can lead them in battle. The wives of House Macrae are titled by their husband's rank, with the Queen at the top followed by Baroness and Lady. However they are mostly courtly Ladies and/or hail from bloodlines outside the House, so they are largely incapable of piloting the House's Knights. 'Notable Current Members of the Macrae Family' 'High King' *'High King Rory Macrae (b. 175.M41)' - An archetypal Macrae, Rory is a large, strong man who was highly atheletic in his youth, though his fondness for fine foods has rendered him slightly portly in older age. Despite this he is still an incredibly skilled & experienced Knight Scion and a talented commander. Rory is a persoanl friend of Lucas Xerant and one of the most powerful independant military commanders in the Sector, and has taken part in many conflicts across the demi-segmentum. On a personal level Rory is extremely friendly and informal, known for his loud voice and enormous bushy red beard, while also possessing a fearsome rage that is triggered by insults & injustices. He cares deeply for his family but is known to have an especially soft spot for his sole daughter. Rory pilots the enormous Acastus-pattern Knight Stormhammer. 'Royal Family' *'Queen Mary Macrae (b. 229.M41)' - Born a commoner within Hold Macrae, when she was still a young farm maid she was saved from a horde of stampeding cattle by a young Prince Rory who had been training in his walker nearby. The pair quickly fell in love and she has been Rory's wife for over a century. She is known for her beauty despite her age and her quiet, kind personality, as well as a love of nature. The Royal Palace's large and breathtaking garden has been one of her passions for many decades, and she has filled it with the most beautiful flowers and plants from across the Sector and beyond. *'Prince Marten Macrae (b.297.M41) '- Eldest son & heir of Rory. Marten is a quiet, tacturn Knight Scion with a scholarly mind and exceptional talents at the helm of a Knight. Tall and slim, with a shrewd gaze and short red hair, Marten is expected to be a philosopher-king of great renown. *'Prince Luke Macrae (311.M41) '- Middle son & second child of Rory. Luke is a lively and entertaining young man who enjoys social events and spending time with others. He is a strongly built man with a short beard and long red hair, and is an aggressive by fearsome Knight Scion. However his rambunctious behavious can be a source of embarassment and he is known to volunteer for almost anything if it sounds fun or glorious enough. *'Princess Rhona Macrae (b. 329.M41)' - Rory's third child and only daughter. It is no secret that Rhona is her father's favourite and she is a caring, thoughtful soul that bears a striking resemblence to her mother, with a slender frame and long, straight, fiery red hair. However her Knight Scion training has also made her exceptionally fit, and extensive practice has made her as skilled with blade & gun as her brothers. In 350.M41 - part way through her training - Rhona was abducted while picking flowers by feral Charonites that took her to their caves many miles away. The caves were too small for Knight Walkers to enter, and many of Rory's best Knight-lessers were killed trying to rescue the Princess. Eventually she was rescued after several weeks of captivity by the Rogue Trader Antonius Celentis, though the beasts had crippled her ankles and starved her badly. However with the help of internal cybernetics Rhona was soon back on her feet and a year later passed her Ritual of Becoming. Since then she has spent time traveling with Lord Celentis, honing her skills against the enemies of the Imperium with him. She pilots the Questoris-pattern Knight known as The Scarlet Flame. *'Prince Robert Macrae (334.M41) '- Youngest son & fourth child of Rory and a very young Knight Scion. Robert is of a small, sleight frame and boyish looks which has earned him playful ridicule from his brothers. Despite this he is a fiercely loyal and deeply caring son and a reliable, level headed Knight pilot. He also shares his mother's love of nature and spends a lot of time with her tending to their garden. 'Notable Barons of House Macrae' *'Baron Herald Malcolm Macrae' - The head of a parallel line of the Macrae family and bearing the honorific of House Herald. Malcolm is the oldest living member of House Macrae and while his physical body is now frail, his sharp mind and peerless will endure. He pilots the Acastus-pattern Knight Indemnius Rex, and is lethally accurage with its powerful long range weapons. *'Baron Kingsward Merlin Gardyne' - The current head of the Gardyne bloodline, that has been a part of House Macrae since time immemorial. Merlin bears the honorific of Kingsward which marks him as the High King's champion in court and in the field. Merlin pilots a Questoris-pattern Knight armed with reaper chainsword and thunderstrike gauntlet, and is a legendary melee warrior both in and out of his Walker. *'Baron Ashar Brawne '- A young but immensely skilled Knight Scion who ascended to Baron with the approval of King Rory after the death of his father in the Third Ionian Crusade, Ashar has distinguished himself greatly in the Brachau Crusade where he commands two squadrons of Macrae Knights and personally pilots a Questoris-pattern walker with a battle cannon and chainsword. 'Notable Knightly Vassals of House Macrae' *'Sir Errol Keillor' - A steely-eyed Knight Scion famed for his unbreakable nerve and lethal precision. Sir Errol pilots a Dominus-pattern Knight and heads a non-Baronial bloodline that takes great pride in its command over a mighty Dominus. *'Sir Clement Macrae' - Son of Baron Malcolm, Sir Clement pilots a Questoris-pattern Walker and distinguished himself in the Third Ionian Crusade when he destroyed an entire company of traitor Leman Russ tanks single-handedly in defence of the two other downed Knights of his squadron. *'Sir Desman Hester' - Heir of a Baronial bloodline and pilot of a Questoris-pattern Walker, Sir Desman has already distinguished himself in battle against the forces of chaos on Malta. 'Notable Knight Walkers of House Macrae' *''Stormhammer ''- One of the two Acastus-pattern Knights in House Macrae and the walker of High King Rory. This towering behemoth is armed with a twin-linked Thermal Cannon in the left arm and and cluthces an enormous, unique power blade in its right gauntlet, while its carapace is loaded with a large battery of anti-air missiles. Stormhammer is night unstoppable in battle and amongst its greatest exploits is the destruction of the renegade Warlord Titan Soulreaper ''under the piloting of High King Rian Macrae in 002.M41. Stormhammer's machine spirit is noted as bestial & aggressive but extremely intelligent, with preternatural instincts that only the strongest willed pilots can unlock. *Indemnius Rex'' - One of the two Acastus-pattern Knights of House Macrae and currently piloted by Baron Herald Malcolm. Indemnius Rex is one of the oldest Knights in the House's service and is armed with twin-linked magna lascannons in each arm and a battery of ironstorm missiles. Rex provides devastating fire support that can shatter baneblades in two with a single salvo, and its machine spirit is considered calm, calculating, and utterly ruthless in its sophisticated & skilled targeting. *''Magma Maxima'' - A Dominus-pattern Knight usually armed with a Volcano lance and plasma decimator. Magma Maxima is noted for her rage-filled machine spirit that only the strongest willed Scion can rein in, but when properly handled she rewards her House with blistering fusilades of searing plasma and laser fire with a rate few can match, the Knight shrugging off the scalding heat discharge of its own weapons as it brings ruination to the foe. *''The Scarlet Flame'' - A Questoris-pattern Knight, notable for the fact that it is the exclusive walker of Macrae Princesses. Built in 895.M39, The Scarlet Flame has been piloted by 15 Macrae Princesses - including Rhona, the current pilot - and no one else. She is usually armed with an Avenger Gatling cannon, Thunderstrike gauntlet, and stormspear rocket launcher, and her personality is noted as incredibly stable and "human" due to the extremely similar personality profiles she has drawn from over her service. Therefore while The Scarlet Flame does not possess the bestial instincts of many Knights, she and her pilot can call upon her vast experience with ease and she almost never loses control. Knight Armigers of House Macrae The Knight Armigers are Scions that are not of full Macrae blood but have shown both the strength of will and skill to be worthy of piloting a smaller Armiger-pattern walker. Agile and fast, Armigers operate like attack dogs at the feet of their Macrae masters, chasing down & flanking foes. However even alone a Knight Armiger can tear through a mob of orks or rip open a light tank. The ranks of House Macrae's Knight Armigers mostly consist of their most talented Knights-lesser, though some are Nobles of other dynasties or occasionally illegitemate Macrae offspring. They fight loyally for their Macrae lords, and the best best of them can occasionally be rewarded with ascension to full House memver and given the honour of piloting a Questoris-pattern Knight (and often permitted to marry a Macrae daughter as well). 'Notable Knight Armigers of House Macrae' *'Sir Walton Boar' - Oldest Knight Armiger of King Rory. Sir Walton's loyalty is beyond reproach and he would die for his King without hesitation. His armour bears the scars to prove it. *'Sir Jon Carlisle' - Knight Armiger to Prince Luke. Jon and Luke are best friends and rarely seen apart. Carlisle has absolute loyalty to his lord that is reciprocated, and his sakill with a blade both on-foot and in his walker are legendary. Conventional Forces of House Macrae 'Order Macrae' The Knights-lesser Orders found across Fyphe are legendary for their warrior skills and are a hallowed tradition going back millennia, going into battle conventionally without the might of armoured walkers around them. Clad in burnished feudal-style Carapace armour and wielding potent power weapons, they are utterly lethal in close quarters.These Knights-lesser form the elite of Fyphe's conventional armies as as well as peacekeepers and bringers of justive on scales too small to warrant a Knight Walker's intervention. They fuse the chivalrious knightly tradition of feudal worlds with potent modern weapons and armour, and are amongst the finest melee combatants in the Sector. Knight-lesser armour would look to any casual observer to be the typical beaten steel plate found on primitive worlds. However Fypher's artisans and smiths use ceramite and plasteel in modern furnaces to shape their products, meaning this knightly plate can easily resist modern anti-personnel fire. The Order Macrae is located in Hold Macrae and is the largest single order, numbering several thousand. They swear oaths to House Macrae and serve as the Household's bodyguards and agents, as well as combat instructors for Scion aspirants. 'Men-at-Arms' The Men-at-arms of House Macrae are their vast feudal army, consisting of hardy men clad in discretely advanced equipment such as flakweave gambessons and plasteel mail. Numbering in the tens of thousands, the Men-at-arms guard and patrol every city & town in Hold Macrae. They are armed with las-spears and laslocks, powerful but short ranged weapons that are best used within rigid formations. Therefore while the Men-at-arms of Fyphe are roughly equivalent to PDF troops they tend to fare much better in close quarters, though rely on the Knight Walkers of their masters for heavy support.